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The Pontiac brand next decade may be trimmed to one nameplate--or it could have as many as three.

"We need to skinny it up, get it very focused and then create a very special role for Pontiac within the BPG channel," said Susan Docherty, vice president of Buick-Pontiac-GMC. "But it needs to be with a very focused entry or entries."

Pontiac now has six nameplates.

This month, General Motors submitted a recovery plan to Congress, revealing a lesser role for Pontiac in the next decade. GM will reduce the number of companywide nameplates to 40 by 2012, from 48 today.

"We are not going to spend tons of money on product development" for Pontiac, Docherty said.

GM's product development dollars will go to its four core brands--Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet and GMC, she said. Instead, Pontiac may rely on an import or imports such as the G8, assembled by GM's Holden subsidiary in Australia.

"The Pontiac G8 is a perfect example," she said. "With a minimal amount of investment, we are able to have a unique entry."

To distinguish Pontiac, Docherty said Pontiac and Buick should have separate vehicle architectures. Sharing architectures "would not fill the mission of what we said in the long-term viability plan, of (Pontiac) being very focused, very specialty or niche."

Pontiac will continue to market six models in 2009. The Torrent crossover will be dropped, but the G3 subcompact will be added. Nameplates will die in the following years.

Docherty said none of Pontiac's nameplates is safe: "I would tell you that the white board is clean. Anybody that tells you that we got this thing figured out today, exactly what it's going to be, the answer to that is, no."

Although Pontiac plans to trim nameplates in the next three years to possibly one vehicle, the front-wheel-drive 2010 G3 subcompact will arrive on schedule next spring.

But General Motors is reconsidering plans to launch the 2010 G8 ST sport pickup late next year.

"We are having lots of discussions," said Susan Docherty, vice president of Buick-Pontiac-GMC. "We would be foolish if we didn't take a second look at whether or not that is the right thing to do."

GM developed the G8 ST on the G8 platform. Enthusiasts had compared the pickup to the Chevrolet El Camino, which ended production in the late 1980s. The G8 ST pickup was created by GM's Holden subsidiary in Australia. GM projected sales of about 5,000 units annually.

Meanwhile, the 2010 G3 subcompact will have a sticker price below $15,000. The car is essentially a Pontiac version of the Chevrolet Aveo but won't have a long life in Pontiac's lineup.

"We always knew that the G3 was a bridge strategy: We told that to our dealers," said Docherty. "This will help us through this period of time where fuel efficiency and affordability are the two top reasons for people who are purchasing in that segment of the market.

"It will fill a void for us on a short-term basis. We needed it in the economic environment we are in, but the G3 does have a limited life cycle."

So many contradictions to what was said in the past, in that first block of text.
Couple of questions:
GMC sells more vehicles than Pontiac?
It was cheap to import the G8 yet other vehicles where not imported because it cost too much?

I do agree though that most of Piontiac line up should be gone. Keep the Solstice, G8 and well, thats all I guess.
Do not create the stupid G3.

G8 ST= bad idea. The US doesn't care too much about an el camino. We have the nouveaux el cam, the Avalanche. The G3 shouldn't be an option. Haven't they learned that badge engineering and bastardizing isn't working? Quit trying to steal sales from yourself.

"We always knew that the G3 was a bridge strategy: We told that to our dealers," said Docherty. "This will help us through this period of time where fuel efficiency and affordability are the two top reasons for people who are purchasing in that segment of the market.

What this says to me is "we're using this to keep us afloat until gas goes down so we can go back to doing the same **** we've been doing."
God I hate them.

What they say and what they do have been completely different things for decades now.

They can't/won't completely get rid of Pontiac because they would probably get raped by the contracts they have signed with their dealership network. So this is probably their only option right now. If cutting Pontiac down to only 1 or 2 models will ultimately strengthen GM as a whole, then so be it, but for the love of god, no more rebadges like the G3. Enough with that crap already.

Astra (new version coming soon, not the 4 year old design we have now)
Corsa
Insignia
G8 (AWD needed)
SKY

This. Then drop the Pontiac name and call it something like Vauxhall, Opel or Holden (which ever one holds up best in the marketting studies). Let the Pontiac name be reborn when an American car company is ready to build a significant car here at home.

If GM drops all pontiac except the G8... well I didn't see that coming. Thought it was going to be the vibe. I didn't think that GM still had it in them.
With the Lumina front end from the middle east, it could be re-badged as a Chevrolet Chevelle or bring the damn Buick Park Avenue over here.

Why not get rid of Buick instead? I see way more Pontiacs on the road than Buicks. Buick is redundant next to Cadillac anyway. Besides, won't Buicks demographic be dead in the next couple years anyway?